Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram and Puducherry Heritage Drive
Route Covered
Overnight stops in day orderOverview
Starting at Chennai airport, this Kanchipuram to Puducherry tour runs five days and four nights by private car. You sleep in Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram, both in Tamil Nadu, and then twice in the union territory of Puducherry. Temple and sculpture fans will enjoy it most; the cooler months from November to February are the easiest.
Travellers who like temples, carved stone and a seafront finish, and accept early starts and a longer drive on the last day
Highlights
Good to know
Temple dress
Cover shoulders and knees at the temples in Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram, and carry footwear that is easy to removeMatrimandir
The Matrimandir and its gardens are open to the public by appointment, so the visit on Day 4 is booked in advanceOpen rock
Much of the Mahabalipuram walking is across sun-exposed rock, so a hat and water helpLast day
The drive to Chennai airport takes about 3.5 hours, so choose a flight that leaves in the afternoon or eveningDay-by-Day Itinerary
- Kailasanathar Temple
Chennai airport to Kanchipuram and the Kailasanathar Temple
- 1Your driver greets you at Chennai International Airport
- 2Travel about 62 km south-west to Kanchipuram
- 3Settle into the hotel and recover from the flight
- 4Visit the Kailasanathar Temple late in the afternoon, the oldest of the town's large temples
- Ekambareswarar Temple
- Varadharaja Perumal Temple
- Kanjeevaram silk stop
- Shore Temple
Temples and silk in Kanchipuram, then Mahabalipuram's Shore Temple
- 1Begin at the Ekambareswarar Temple, beneath its tall gateway tower
- 2Wander the Varadharaja Perumal Temple and its pillared hall
- 3Call in at a silk showroom or weaving workshop
- 4Then drive about 67 km to Mahabalipuram
- 5End the day at the seaside Shore Temple
- Five Rathas
- Arjuna's Penance
- Krishna's Butterball
- Pallava cave sanctuaries
- Promenade walk
The East Coast Road to Puducherry after the Five Rathas and Arjuna's Penance
- 1Get going early at the Five Rathas, every one hewn from a single boulder
- 2Take in Arjuna's Penance and Krishna's Butterball
- 3Peek inside the neighbouring Pallava cave sanctuaries
- 4Around late morning, follow the coast for about 95 km to Puducherry
- 5Finish with an evening walk along the seafront Promenade
- French quarter
- Immaculate Conception Cathedral
- Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- Auroville and the Matrimandir
French quarter, Ashram and Auroville in Puducherry
- 1Stroll the yellow-painted French quarter in the morning
- 2Stop at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral
- 3Call at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, home to a white marble shrine
- 4Spend the afternoon in Auroville, roughly 8 to 12 km to the north, where the Matrimandir is seen by appointment
- Promenade morning walk
A Puducherry seafront morning, then the road to Chennai airport
- 1A free morning for the seafront or a last cafe stop in the French quarter
- 2Leave Puducherry by late morning
- 3Drive back up the coast to Chennai International Airport
- 4Check the flight time against the drive of about 3.5 hours
Indicative — varies with season and hotel category.
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Trip Facts
Local Activities & Events
Updated Oct 3, 2026Mahabalipuram — Days 2-3 of this trip
Indian Dance Festival, Mamallapuram
culturalUsually runs from the third week of December into mid-to-late January
Classical and folk dancers perform in the evenings on an open-air stage in front of the Shore Temple, in a festival run by Tamil Nadu's tourism department.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesTamil Nadu — across your trip
Kanda Sashti and Soorasamharam
festivalSix days of fasting and worship at Tiruchendur's Murugan temple lead to Soorasamharam, the re-enactment of Murugan's victory over the demon Surapadman.
Karthigai Deepam
festivalArunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai holds a ten-day festival that ends with a flame lit on Arunachala hill at dusk and an overnight walk around it.
Music Academy 100th Annual Concerts (Chennai December Season)
culturalThe Music Academy marks its hundredth annual concerts with daily performances and morning conference sessions during Chennai's December season.
Vaikuntha Ekadashi at Srirangam
festivalThe northern Paramapada Vasal gate of the Ranganathaswamy Temple opens on this single day, and the processional deity passes through at daybreak.
Arudra Darshan at Chidambaram
festivalThe Nataraja deity at Chidambaram is carried out in a temple-car procession and anointed in a long ceremony on the Thiruvathirai star.
Music Academy 20th Annual Dance Festival
culturalA week of classical dance recitals in Chennai, with free morning shows and ticketed evening performances across several Indian dance styles.
50th Chennai Book Fair
culturalThe golden-jubilee edition of the city's annual book fair, run by the booksellers' association BAPASI, with programmes for readers, writers and publishers.
Events are reviewed by our team before publishing and drop off after they end. Please confirm timings and availability with us before your trip — local schedules can change without notice.
What's Included & Excluded
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